Which Web Hosts Allow the Most Programming Languages
Posted by Jeff Hindenach
Q: I want a personal web host but I want to be able to use whatever programming language I want. Which ones let you do that?
A: There are a few web hosting services that allow you to use a wide range of programming languages, as well as other features that advanced users might be looking for.
HostGator: This is your best option. Not only does it include PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, CGI, SSI, and ASP in its programming languages, but it also offers the best uptime and response time of any other web host we reviewed. It also is one of the few hosts that offers both Windows and Linux operating systems and offers unlimited MySQL databases. And at just $3.71/month with the NextAdvisor discount, it is a hard web host to pass up.
Network Solutions: For sheer number of programming languages, Network Solutions is the best. It is compatible with PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, Zend,CGI, SSI, JSP, ASP, and .NET, which is more than any other web hosting service that we reviewed. It also allows both Windows and Linux operating systems, and includes 25 MySQL databases. Network Solutions uptime and response time aren't as good as HostGator's, but it is cheaper at just $2.99/month with the NextAdvisor discount.
HostMonster: HostMonster is our highest rated overall web hosting service, as it offers a wide variety of great features for a reasonable price. HostMonster is compatible with PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, CGI, and SSI programming languages and offers unlimited MySQL databases. It only offers Linux operating system compatibility, but does include Shell access. At $3.95/month with the NextAdvisor discount, HostMonster has the biggest bang for your buck of any of the web hosting services that we reviewed.
To check out all of our web hosting services reviews and see which programming languages each offer, check out our compare page here.
Get 30% Off HostGator Web Hosting
Posted by Jeff Hindenach
Looking to create your own website or launch your business this spring? HostGator is offering NextAdvisor readers 30% off their web hosting services, as well as $1 off the purchase of any domain name. That is 30% off your first invoice, so if you sign up for a 3-year plan instead of a 1-year plan, you will save more. Just click on the link from our HostGator review and use the coupon code SPRING30 at checkout.
HostGator is one of our top-rated sites, especially for more advanced users, because of all the features that they offer. The service is cheaper than most web hosts, at only $3.71/month (before the 30% off) and offers unlimited storage and data transfer, as well as unlimited email addresses. It has a 45-day money back guarantee and offers some of the best customer service in the web hosting business. For more advanced users, HostGator offers both Linux and Windows operating systems, as well as the largest number of compatible programming languages.
To check out our full review of HostGator or to take advantage of the 30% off deal, click here.
Web Hosting and WordPress: Which Services Allow the Popular Blogging Software?
Posted by Jeff Hindenach
Q: I want to set up a WordPress blog, which web hosting services will let me set up a WordPress blog?
A: Most web hosts are compatible with WordPress, making your decision a little easier. The only major web hosting service that doesn't allow you to install WordPress on it is Yahoo Web Hosting, along with Intuit web hosting, which we don't recommend. Every other web hosting service that we review allows you to install WordPress onto your site.
If you have other specific requirements in mind, you can use our web hosting chooser to find the right web host for you, but here are the web hosting services that include WordPress that we recommend based on different criteria:
Best Bargain: FatCow. This web host has the cheapest monthly price at $3.15/month on their web hosting services. FatCow also includes unlimited storage and data transfer, a free domain for 1 year, and unlimited email addresses.
Best for Beginners: HostMonster. HostMonster uses the cPanel interface, which is one of the easiest to use. It also includes SimpleScripts add-ons and Shopsite Wizard for easy e-commerce.
Best for Advanced Users: Network Solutions. If you need more advanced web hosting, try Network Solutions. It has the highest number of compatible programming languages, as well as unlimited MySQL databases and both Linux and Windows operating systems.
Fastest and Most Reliable: HostGator. With the 3 and half years of data that we've collected on uptime and response time, we have found that HostGator is the fastest and most reliable web hosting service that we've reviewed. It has an average uptime of 99.98%, compared to the average 99.84%, and a response time of .257 seconds, which is much faster than the average for web hosts at 0.596 seconds.
To check out all the web hosting services that we review and to compare them all side by side, check out our compare page here.
GoDaddy vs. Network Solutions:
Which Web Host Is Best?
Posted by Jeff Hindenach
As two of the most popular web hosting services that we review, we thought it would be a good idea to do a side-by-side comparison of GoDaddy and Network Solutions to see which web host is the best overall. Here's a quick breakdown of some of the hosts' most important features:
Price: Network Solutions web hosting costs $2.99/month with our NextAdvisor discount, where GoDaddy costs $3.99/month. Network Solutions also offers a free domain for 10 years, while GoDaddy charges $9.99/year for a domain. Network Solutions also gives you an unlimited amount of domains, where GoDaddy only offers one.
Features: Network Solutions is far and above the better choice when it comes to features, especially if you are a more advanced user. GoDaddy doesn't offer any MySQL databases and doesn't allow any programming languages. Network Solutions on the other hand offers 25 MySQL databases and a slew of programming languages, including PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, Zend,CGI, SSI, JSP, ASP, .NET. Network Solutions also allows you to install WordPress on your site, where GoDaddy does not.
Reliability: GoDaddy actually has a great record when it comes to uptime and response time. Based on our 42 months of data on both web hosts, GoDaddy has an average uptime of 99.97%, while Network Solutions has an average uptime of 99.75%. GoDaddy's response time was an average of .174 seconds, where Network Solutions has an average response time of .579 seconds. So GoDaddy is much more reliable and quick.
Customer Service: Network Solutions offers email, phone and chat options for customer service, where GoDaddy only offers email and phone. Both services are good at answering any questions you may have.
From top to bottom, Network Solutions is the better choice for web hosting. If you are looking to host a small site without a lot of bells and whistles, you can use GoDaddy, but we still recommend taking a look at Network Solutions as a better value. To read our full review of both services or to compare them side by side, check out our web hosting compare page here.
HostMonster vs FatCow: Which
Web Hosting Service Is Better
Posted by Jeff Hindenach
Two of our favorite web hosting services have a lot to offer anyone looking to build a website, but which is the best for web hosting? It depends on what you are looking for. We take a look at what makes each host unique and how they compare in several key areas of web hosting.
Price: Both web hosting services come with many of the same features, including unlimited storage and data transfer, unlimited email addresses and a free domain for 1 year. Since their features are so comparable, it's easier to compare their value based on their price. FatCow is only $3.15/month with our NextAdvisor discount, where HostMonster is $3.95/month with our NextAdvisor discount, making FatCow a much better value.
User-friendly interface: Both web hosts have simple interfaces that most beginners should feel comfortable with, although they are not as simple and easy as some of the other web hosting services that we review. Both hosts have the Weebly Drag and Drop site builder, but HostMonster uses the popular cPanel interface, while FatCow uses the vDeck interface.
Uptime and Response Time: Having a website that is quick and reliable is an important feature for anyone, so how do HostMonster and FatCow compare when it comes to uptime and response time? HostMonster has a much better average uptime score with a 99.83%, while FatCow scored a 99.77%. As far as average response time, FatCow blew HostMonster out of the water with .449s, compared to HostMonster's .746s.
Ecommerce options: If you are a small business or plan on selling things from your website, having a strong and easy ecommerce tools is key. FatCow has an easier ecommerce solution with the add-on ShopSite, while HostMonster offers Agora cart, which is not as intuitive as ShopSite. HostMonster does offer a ShopSite add-on, but you have to pay for it.
Customer service/tech support: One of the most important features of any web host for beginners is customer service and tech support, especially if you've never built a website before. Both services offering 24/7 phone and chat support and also offer email assistance. FatCow also offers premium support if you want to pay a little extra for the additional service.
Bottom line, if you are looking for a cheap service that is good for beginners but doesn't come with all the extras, you should check out FatCow. If you are a more advanced user who values things like uptime and shell access, then HostMonster is the better choice. To check out a more detailed comparison of HostMonster and FatCow or to compare them against some of the other web hosting services we review, check out our web hosting compare page here. If you are looking for a web host with specific features, check out our Web Hosting Chooser here.
Which Web Host Has the Best Uptime?
Posted by Jeff Hindenach
Q: I'm looking for a web host that has great uptime because I can't afford to have my site go down. Which is best?
A: You've come to the right place. NextAdvisor has logged 3 and half years of uptime data from all the web hosts that we review to find out which web hosts have the best uptime rate.
What is uptime? In web hosting terms, uptime is the average amount of time that a website is up and available to users. Twitter's Fail Whale would be an example of when a site is down, which would hurt Twitter's uptime rate. If a web host server never goes down (which is highly improbable due to power outages, server glitches, etc.), then the website's uptime would be 100%.
How did we get the data? We signed up for each of the web hosting services and built a test website with each one of them. We then used a third party tracking site to see how often those test sites go down, giving us the years of data we now use to compare the different web hosts' uptime.
So which web hosting services have the best scores? HostGator and 1&1 web hosting have the highest uptime average, with 99.98%, which means they almost never go down. Lunarpages and GoDaddy are a close second with a 99.97% average uptime. And Yahoo Web Hosting comes in a close third with a 99.96% average uptime. To give you an idea of how well these site perform, the average for all web hosts is 99.85%, so each of these web host's performs are well above the average.
To check out what each web host's uptime rate is, head over to our web hosting compare page here.
How Much Does Yahoo Web Hosting Cost?
Posted by Jeff Hindenach
Q: I wanted to sign up for Yahoo web hosting but didn't know how much it cost. Do you know?
Yes, but the cost depends on what you are looking for. Yahoo has three different plans to choose from depending on the size of your site, and the pricing differs for each one. Here's the breakdown:
Basic: The Basic web hosting plan is just that, basic. It offers only 100 GB of disk space, 1000 GB/month of disk transfer, 10 site pages, and 250 email addresses. For the basic service for one year, Yahoo charges $4.99/month. If you sign up through NextAdvisor, you can get 25% off the first 3 months, bringing the price down to $3.74/month. If you sign up for a 3-year plan, you get the service for $2.99/month for the first 3 months, and if you sign up for a 5-year plan, you can get it for as low as $2.62/month for the first 3 months.
Advanced: The Advanced web hosting option gives you 500 GB of disk space and 5000 GB/month of disk transfer, along with 500 email addresses. It also gives you unlimited site pages. For the advanced service for one year, Yahoo charges $7.99/month. If you sign up through NextAdvisor, you can get 25% off the first 3 months, bringing the price down to $5.99/month. If you sign up for a 3-year plan, you get the service for $5.25/month for the first 3 months, and if you sign up for a 5-year plan, you can get it for as low as $4.49/month for the first 3 months.
Premier: Yahoo's Premier web hosting plan offers unlimited disk space, disk transfer and site page limits, making it the best option for larger websites. It also offers 1000 email addresses. For the premier service for one year, Yahoo charges $11.99/month. If you sign up through NextAdvisor, you can get 25% off the first 3 months, bringing the price down to $8.99/month. If you sign up for a 3-year plan, you get the service for $7.50/month for the first 3 months, and if you sign up for a 5-year plan, you can get it for as low as $6.74/month for the first 3 months.
To check out our full review of Yahoo Web Hosting, click here.
Enter the NextAdvisor $500 Giveaway!
Posted by Jeff Hindenach
Need a little extra spending cash for the summer months? We are giving away a total of $500 to 4 of our lucky Google+ followers! We will be drawing 4 winners over the course of a month. The first winner, picked March 22, will win $50. The second winner, picked on March 29, will win $100. The third winner, picked on April 5, will win $150. And the last winner, picked on April 12, will win $200. You must follow all instructions below to enter. Good luck!
First, follow us on Google+:
Next, answer a few questions for us:
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Web Hosting Discounts: Which Services
Offer the Best Deals for Building a Website
Posted by Jeff Hindenach
With all the different web hosting services trying to compete with each other, it is easy to find a good deal on a web host. But is it worth sacrificing quality for cost? A lot of free web hosting services have issues with performance and uptime, and also have a limited amount of features that can put restrictions on your website. On the other hand, many of the top services that we review offer great deals combined with top-notch web hosting services.
HostMonster: Our readers can enjoy 50% off the top-rated web hosting service, which means you only pay $3.95/month. HostMonster is a well-recognized name in web hosting and has a great blend of features, support and value. For everyone from beginners through advanced users, Hostmonster is a simple, functional web host.
HostGator: You can get 25% off HostGator if you sign up through NextAdvisor, which brings the price down to $3.71/month. HostGator is a high-quality web host that is fast and stable with a great online site-builder. It's perfect for both beginners and more advanced web designers.
Yahoo! Web Hosting: If you sign up for a 5-year contract, you can get Yahoo! Web Hosting for only $2.62/month. This is our favorite web hosting service for beginners because it offers a simple interface and a very user-friendly site builder tool.
FatCow: FatCow offers our biggest discount at 60% off, making the monthly price only $3.15. FatCow is also a great bargain because it is one of the only web hosts that won't lock you into a contract in order to get a cheaper price. It's also a great choice for a web host, particularly for beginners and intermediate users who need eCommerce features.
To read about all of the web hosting services that we review and compare them side by side, check out our compare page here.
Register Your Own Domain with 1&1.com
Posted by Chris Rancourt
Have a great idea for a business or website? Before you do anything you should check to see if the domain name is available. One of the greatest keys to success when starting a business is having a good domain. This way, when people search for your business they don't get lost or confused by different names or URLs. Right now 1&1.com is offering domain name registration for just $7.99. By registering your domain, you will have exclusive rights to that URL for up to a year, after which you will have to renew your registry. This is a great opportunity for those who have an idea for a business or website but maybe aren't ready to start it just yet.
Along with domain registry, 1&1.com is a great web hosting site that will help you get any idea of yours off the ground and onto the web. For all NextAdvisor readers, 1&1.com is offering a discount on all their plans, bringing the price of unlimited hosting down from $6.99 per month to $4.99 per month and a basic hosting plan down to just $0.99 per month for the first year. Just click on any NextAdvisor link to 1&1 to take advantage of these great deals.
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Disclosure: NextAdvisor.com is a consumer information site that offers free, independent reviews and ratings of online services. We receive advertising revenue from most of the services we review. Our editors thoroughly research and whenever possible test each service we review and offer their honest opinions about each one. We are independently owned and operated and all opinions expressed on this site are our own.